Putting a picture in Google search can help your website or content stand out in the search results. Images can attract more clicks and improve click-through rates. While you can’t directly upload images to Google search, there are a few methods to get pictures to show for your content.
Add images in metadata
One way to get pictures in Google search is by adding image URLs and alt text in your page metadata. This tells Google which images are associated with the page content.
To do this, include the following metadata on each page:
- og:image – The URL to the main image for the page
- og:image:alt – A description of the main image
- twitter:image – Another image URL used when sharing on Twitter
- twitter:image:alt – Alt text for the Twitter image
For example:
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/images/main.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="Description of the main image" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/images/twitter.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Description of the Twitter image" />
This allows Google and other platforms like Twitter and Facebook to find and display these images. Just make sure the URLs point to actual images on your site.
Use structured data markup
Another method is to use structured data markup like JSON-LD or schema.org microdata. This makes it easier for Google to understand your content and extract information from it.
To add images with structured data:
- Add schema.org/ImageObject markup for each image on the page
- Include the image URL, width, height, alt text, and other details
- Make sure the markup is structured properly based on schema.org guidelines
For example:
<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "https://example.com/images/image1.jpg", "width": 200, "height": 400, "caption": "A description of the image" } </script>
This tells Google about the images on the page in a structured format. As a result, Google may display images in the search results.
Include images in your content
The easiest way to get images in search is directly adding images in your content. Google will crawl and index the images on pages as it crawls them.
Tips for including images:
- Add images that are relevant to the surrounding content
- Use the HTML img tag to insert images
- Specify alt text and title attributes for each image
- Save images in an optimized format like JPEG or PNG
- Compress images to reduce file size without losing quality
- Use appropriate widths and heights for each image
For example:
<img src="image1.jpg" alt="A description of image 1" title="Image 1" width="200" height="400">
Having images directly in your content makes it easy for Google to find and display them. Just make sure they enhance the user experience and align with the surrounding text.
Leverage Google Posts and other rich results
If you want guaranteed image search results, leverage Google’s rich result features like Posts, Image Packs and more. These allow you to prominently display images directly in search.
For example, Google Posts let you showcase images, videos, GIFs and other media directly in the search results. When Google finds the structured data markup for a Post, it will prominently display it as a rich result.
To implement Google Posts:
- Add schema.org/SocialMediaPost markup
- Include image URLs in the contentUrl property
- Set up author info, publishing date, etc.
- Follow Google’s guidelines for proper structured data
This is an example of a Post with an image:
<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SocialMediaPosting", "sharedContent": { "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "https://example.com/images/postimage.jpg" }, "datePublished": "2023-10-02", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Doe" } } </script>
When implemented correctly, Google will display the Post prominently in image search and link to your webpage.
Optimize your images
Make sure to properly optimize your images for the web to improve image search results:
- Use appropriate file formats – JPEG for photos, PNG for logos and illustrations
- Compress images to reduce file size without degrading quality
- Resize image dimensions to the intended display size
- Use lower quality settings for less important images
- Serve scaled image assets using srcset and sizes
- Implement lazy loading to delay offscreen image loading
Unoptimized images can hurt site performance and create a poor user experience. With proper image optimization, your images will look great and load faster.
Use alt text properly
Alt text provides a text description of images on webpages. It’s important for accessibility, SEO, and driving traffic from image search results.
Here are some tips for effective alt text:
- Accurately describe the image content and subject matter
- Use clear, concise descriptions without excessive keywords
- Keep alt text under 125 characters
- Avoid generic phrases like “graphic” or “image”
- Include any text visible in the image like signs, logos, etc.
- Provide context needed to understand the image
For example, good alt text for a website logo could be “CompanyName logo with red lettering on white background”.
With accurate, descriptive alt text, your images are more likely to rank in Google image search.
Leverage Google Lens
Google Lens is an image recognition technology that lets you search using pictures. It can identify objects, landmarks, products, text, and more within images.
You can leverage Google Lens to make your own images more discoverable. Here are some tips:
- When uploading images, add descriptions of the contents
- For product images, include the brand, product name, and other details
- Use images with text? Transcribe the text in descriptions
- Take high-quality, well-lit photos for image recognition
The better the image quality and surrounding context, the better chance Google Lens can identify and surface the images in relevant searches.
Check your image search appearance
After adding images to your pages and content, do some test Google searches to see how they appear.
- Search for your brand name – Do brand images appear?
- Search for products or services – Do your product photos appear?
- Search for other descriptive phrases – Do relevant images show up?
- Click the “Images” link – Do your images appear in the results?
Examining your image search presence helps you understand what Google associates with your brand. Refine your optimization strategy based on these results.
Monitor with Google Search Console
Google Search Console provides data on how Google indexes and serves your pages in search results. You can use it to monitor image search performance.
Key metrics and reports:
- Index Coverage report – Shows indexed images and alt text
- Enhancement reports – Images indexed, with alt text, etc.
- Rich Results report – Shows images in rich results like Posts
- Links to Your Images – Lists webpages featuring your images
Reviewing this data can help you identify successes, issues, and opportunities to improve image search visibility.
Conclusion
Getting images to appear in Google search takes work but provides tremendous value. By adding images properly, optimizing them, using structured data, and monitoring results, you can increase visibility and engagement from image search.
The key is giving Google and users what they want – relevant, high-quality images that enrich the experience. With strategic image optimization and promotion, you can enjoy more traffic from Google image search.